Born in Avignon, France, Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was one of the most important
composers of the 20th century.www.oliviermessiaen.org/messiaen2index.htmHe entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age
of eleven and was taught by Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor
and Marcel Dupré. He was appointed organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité
in Paris in 1931, a post held until his death. He taught at the Schola Cantorum
de Paris during the 1930s.

On the fall of France in 1940, Messiaen was made a prisoner
of war, during which time he composed his Quatuor
pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the end of time) written for the only
instruments available to him - a piano, violin, cello and clarinet. It was
first performed by Messiaen and fellow prisoners for an audience of inmates and
prison guards. After his release, in 1941, he was appointed professor of
harmony and, in 1966, professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire,
positions he held until his retirement in 1978. His many distinguished pupils
included Pierre Boulez and Yvonne Loriod, who became his second wife. He died
in Clichy-la-Garenne, Paris, France.

Right from his first published work, the Preludes for Piano (1929) Messiaen was
using his own modal system, modes of limited transposition. These modes are not
plainchant or folk-music but artificial modes based on the equal temperament
chromatic scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modes_of_limited_transposition.His music was also influenced by his strong Catholic faith, birdsong and Hindu
rhythms. His compositions include his opera Saint-François d'Assise (St Francis
of Assisi) (1975–1983), choral works, songs cycles, orchestral works including
his Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–48), chamber works, a large number of organ
works and piano works including the seven book Catalogue d'oiseaux (1956–58).

The Finnish composer Kaija
Saariaho (b.1952)www.saariaho.orgstudied
composition in Helsinki, Freiburg and Paris, where she has lived since 1982. She
has undertaken studies and research at IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et
Coordination Acoustique/Musique) www.ircam.frwhich have had a major influence on her music and her characteristically luxuriant
and mysterious textures are often created by combining live music and
electronics. Her works to date include the operas L’amour de loin (2000) Adriana
Mater (2005), Émilie (2010), a
number of works for orchestra and electronics, a cello concerto Notes on Light (2007), chamber works and
piano works.

This enterprising new disc combines works for piano, string
quartet and piano, viola and cello.

Messiaen uses modes of limited transposition to form the
basis of melody and harmony in a number of his Preludes (1929).In the
opening prelude, La Colombe, Gloria Cheng
manages to beautifully bridge the stylistic link between Debussy and Messiaen
in this early work by the 21 year old composer. Her finely judged rests allow
the music to hang in the air and there is superb use of upper register of
keyboard. Colour is so important in Messiaen’s music and no less so in Chant d’extase where Cheng draws such
varied and subtle colours from the music. One moment there is that beautifully
limpid piano sound that is so distinctive of the mature composer then Debussy
appears in the broader chords. And what a beautifully judged coda this pianist
gives us.

Le nombre léger is
one of Messiaen’s dazzling evocations of light, perfectly caught by
Cheng whilst in Instants défunts
Messiaen’s later developmentsare
anticipated. This elusive piece, so difficult to hold together and bring off,
receives a perfectly structured performance, holding the listener in suspense
at each little pause. Again the subtle textures and colours are superb.

Les sons impalpables
du rêre is full of dischords and is quixotic in its sudden changes. Again
Cheng has a lovely upper register with beautiful bell like passages. Cloches d’angoisse et larmes d’adieu
also looks forward to Messiaen’s later style with a tolling bell opening the
prelude, a haunting piece where, at times, Cheng brings such breadth and colour
that there is an orchestral feel to the playing.

Plainte calme retains
the feeling of sadness though on a lighter level. Cheng hovers sensitively
between sadness and light, drawing so much from the music before it fades away.
In the final prelude, Un reflect dans la
vent, there is some scintillating playing from Cheng to end this set of
preludes. She has a lovely touch, rippling notes, varied tempi ebbing and
flowing, in this most Debussian of pieces.

Messiaen’s Pièce
pour piano et quatuor à cordes(1991) dates right from the end of his life, completed just before
his last major work the aptly named
Éclairs sur l'au-delà(Illuminations
on the beyond) (1988–92). Strident chords from the string quartet seem to struggle
with the mellower piano phrases. Soon the piano joins the quartet in a dialogue
of rapid phrases. There is a mellower section for solo piano before the quartet
enters alone in a strident rhythmic motif. The piano seems to try to calm the
music but the quartet has the last word. There is fine playing from both Gloria
Cheng and the Calder Quartet.

Saariaho’s Prelude
(2006) receives its premiere recording here in a brilliant performance from
Cheng. It opens with an upward flourish before a flowing theme which is
repeated before both themes weave together, creating a complex tapestry of
sound. The music tries to burst out and does indeed eventually reach a climax but
soon calms and becomes gentle and quiet. With a sudden upward and downward scale,
the music then just fades. There is so much going on in this wonderful, complex
piece that it makes the perfect complement to the Messiaen.

Another premier recording on this disc is Saariaho’s Ballade (2005).Quiet trills played on the upper
register of the piano are set against a rising motif on the middle register of
the piano. Eventually both combine in a somewhat Debussian melody, very
impressionistic. A two note motif contrasts with downward scales as the music
becomes more dramatic, building to bold scales against repeated notes. The
music slowly quietens against the same two note motif with trills in the upper
register.

These are two fine piano works brilliantly played by Gloria
Cheng.

Saariaho’s - Je sans
un deuxieme Coeur for piano, viola and cello (2003) draws on some of the
thematic material from the orchestral score of the first act of her opera Adriana Mater that had been written by
that time. It touches on the dreadful subject of rape yet concludes with the
woman lovingly carrying a child – ‘I feel a second heart beating next to mine.’

Je dévoil ma peau (I
unveil my skin) opens with a piano chord before the strings enter, mournful
and agonised. This is repeated before the quartet continues in agonised phrases
with downward slides on the strings, whilst the piano adds occasional single
notes. The piano chords become more decisive and the strings grow louder and
increasingly agitated. There are some amazing textures and timbres from the
strings before the music ends by just fading out.

Ouvre-moi, vite (Open
up to me, fast) is a fast, slightly manic, intense movement with repeated
sounds for piano and strings. The cello hurtles upward in cries of fear and the
movement ends suddenly with string and piano chords. Nightmarish sounds from
the strings over a rumbling piano motif open Dans la Rêve, elle l’attendait (In her dream, she was waiting).
Again the strings give strange sounds with harmonics and slides whilst the
piano ruminates in the lower register most of the time. As the strings play strange
arpeggios, the piano continues to rumble underneath until the music quietens
and fades.

There are rapid piano arpeggios before the strings enter in
a fast, nervous, frightening, It faut que
j’entre (I must come in) There are cries from the strings then sudden
chords from the piano and strings before the rapid theme carries on. A descending
theme leads to an almost jazz like piano passage against the violent strings
that end the movement.

In the poignant Je
sens un deuxieme Coeur (I feel a second heart beating next to mine) there
are strained phrases on strings against a limpid piano motif before, slowly,
the strings and piano try to come together, the two sounding like cogs that
don’t quite mesh as they grind together. The music grows louder until it settles
in a kind of tense lullaby, still suffering but with a hidden comfort. As the
music slowly quietens and fades there is a kind of resolution.

The performances of these wonderful works, from Gloria Cheng
and the Calder Quartet, are first class. The recording made is excellent and
there are informative booklet notes.

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About The Classical Reviewer

The Classical Reviewer has been involved in music for many years, as a classical record distributor, as a newspaper concert reviewer and writer of articles relating to music as well as reviewing for Harpsichord and Fortepiano magazine.

He assisted in the cataloguing of the scores of the late British composer George Lloyd and has co-authored a memoir of his friendship with the composer.

Having a particular interest in British music, he regularly undertakes talks on Elgar.

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